New Leg Stent Gets Ellen Back in the Race

DALLAS. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — One in every 20 Americans over the age of 50 experiences peripheral artery disease, clogged arteries, usually in the legs, which can cause extreme pain and increase the risk for heart attack and stroke. Now, with a new approach to leg stents, some patients not only walk again, they can run.

Seventy-three-year old Ellen Bergami is running competitively again, but a year ago she experienced so much pain in her leg that she was facing amputation.

“I cannot tell you how much pain you are in cause it’s like a tourniquet on your leg shutting down and you’re getting no blood,” detailed Bergami.

Bergami was experiencing an acute form of peripheral artery disease that was shutting down the blood flow to her right leg. After a series of failed procedures, she was still in constant pain and addicted to fentanyl.

Mirza Baig, M.D., a vascular surgeon at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Irving, Texas, told Ivanhoe, “I think that she was at a point where she had so much pain in her foot that I think if she wanted, or required an amputation, she would have been relieved.” (Read Full Interview)

Doctors replaced Bergami’s old metal stents with fabric stents. Drug-coated balloons at the ends keep the femoral artery open. These new stents have lasted more than a year and a half and changed Bergami’s life.

Dr. Baig said, “I think drug-coated balloons are going to turn out to be a medical breakthrough. I think that the data so far is pretty good.”

Recently, Bergami ran a 5K and finished third in her age group.

“My medal is from November 2016 and it is an honor to wear it and to put it on to know that I did it.”

The drug-coated balloons, approved by the FDA in 2015, are showing good outcomes and reducing the need for repeat procedures.

TREATMENTS: Treatments for PAD do exist. They focus on lowering the level of pain the patient might be going through, as well as stopping the progression of atherosclerosis to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The easiest treatments involve lifestyle changes like quitting smoking (if the patient does smoke), eating healthy and exercising. When lifestyle changes don’t help, medicine might be prescribed by the doctor in order to prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and to control pain and other symptoms. Other forms of treatment may be:

DRUG-COATED BALLOON: Drug-coated balloons are a new form of treatment that is being used for PAD. They are new to the U.S. market and FDA- approved. The procedure consists of inserting a small balloon into the blocked artery. Once in place, the balloon is expanded in order return flow. After the first balloon is deflated, a new balloon, coated with anti-proliferative medication, is inserted in to the same artery. The balloon is then inflated. This drug suppresses growth of smooth muscle cells which are responsible for causing restenosis in arteries (re-blockage of arteries), and it has few major complications. The procedure is done under local anesthesia which is less risky than general anesthesia, and patients are able to return to normal activities shortly after the procedure. There’s still a need for more data to be collected, but so far the results are very promising.(Source: http://www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/pad-balloon-angioplasty/balloon-drug-coated-balloon-angioplasty.html & Dr. Mirza Baig)

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com

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